The Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers meet Thursday at Moda Center in a Grizzlies Trail Blazers unbeaten matchup that pits two of the NBA‘s hottest early-season teams against each other. Memphis enters at 4-0 and Portland at 3-0, making this the first loss either team will take on if the trend holds. Tip is set for 10 p.m. ET in Portland, Oregon.
Memphis has won four straight to open the year and sits atop the Southwest Division alongside Houston. Portland has reeled off three straight wins of its own and trails only Oklahoma City in the Northwest by half a game. Neither club has tasted defeat this season, which makes Thursday’s result the first real measuring stick for both.
Grizzlies Vs Trail Blazers Game Information
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 29
- Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Venue: Moda Center, Portland, OR
- TV/Streaming: NBA League Pass, DAZN MEM, KUNP 16, BlazerVision
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
By The Numbers
- Points per game: Trail Blazers 129.3, Grizzlies 116.8
- Field goal percentage: Trail Blazers 51.1%, Grizzlies 45.3%
- Three-point percentage: Grizzlies 39.1%, Trail Blazers 38.9%
- Assists per game: Trail Blazers 30.7, Grizzlies 25.0
- Turnovers per game: Trail Blazers 13.3, Grizzlies 15.5
- Offensive rebounds per game: Grizzlies 14.5, Trail Blazers 12.0
- Defensive rebounds per game: Grizzlies 35.5, Trail Blazers 34.3
- Blocks per game: Grizzlies 6.3, Trail Blazers 2.7
- Steals per game: Trail Blazers 8.3, Grizzlies 6.3
Grizzlies Outlook
Memphis has won its last five games overall, including victories over the Hornets, Jazz, Warriors and Kings, and closed out a back-to-back-adjacent stretch with a 110-105 win at Utah on Oct. 27. The Grizzlies have not lost yet this season and have been carried by Ty Jerome, who leads the team at 29.8 points, 6.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. Cameron Boozer paces Memphis on the glass at 10.5 rebounds per game.
The Grizzlies’ defense has been a difference-maker, averaging 6.3 blocks per game compared with Portland’s 2.7, and Memphis also out-rebounds its opponents on both ends of the floor. Turnovers remain a concern: Memphis coughs the ball up 15.5 times per game, the highest mark of the two teams in this matchup. Memphis is also dealing with injury uncertainty at center, where Isaiah Stewart has been listed as day-to-day for the Grizzlies. The projected Memphis starting lineup is expected to again feature Jerome running the offense after his 31-point outing in the win over Sacramento and his 45-point night in the rout of Utah.
Trail Blazers Outlook
Portland has also won five of its last five dating back to Oct. 14, capped by a 136-129 road win over the Lakers on Wednesday night, just one day before hosting Memphis. The Trail Blazers lead the matchup in scoring at 129.3 points per game and shoot 51.1% from the field, both better marks than Memphis. Deni Avdija leads Portland across the board, averaging 22.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Donovan Clingan paces the Trail Blazers on the boards at 9.3 rebounds per game. Portland will be without two guards Thursday. Chris Youngblood is out with left leg ankle soreness, with a return date listed as Oct. 29, and Shaedon Sharpe remains out recovering from right knee surgery, with a return date listed as March 2, 2027.
Those absences put more pressure on Portland’s remaining backcourt, with Ja Morant projected to handle point guard duties and distribute at his team-leading 6.3 assists per game pace.
Key Matchup
Portland’s offense, which ranks ahead of Memphis at 129.3 points per game on 51.1% shooting, will run into a Grizzlies defense that has blocked more than twice as many shots per game (6.3 to 2.7) and out-rebounds opponents on the defensive glass 35.5 to 34.3. How Memphis contests Portland’s two-point efficiency, where the Trail Blazers are shooting 62.8% on twos this season, could determine whether the Grizzlies’ interior defense slows down a Portland attack that has topped 120 points in four of its last five games.
On the other end, Portland’s depleted backcourt will have to find a way to limit Jerome, who is averaging nearly 30 points a game and has scored 31 or more twice in his last three outings. With Youngblood and Sharpe both sidelined, the defensive matchup against Jerome falls to whichever perimeter combination Portland deploys.
What To Watch
Both teams are chasing the NBA’s last unbeaten records, and Thursday’s loser will take its first defeat of the young season. Memphis sits tied atop the Southwest with Houston, both at 4-0, while Portland trails only Oklahoma City’s 4-0 mark in the Northwest. A Grizzlies win would keep Memphis level with Houston for the conference’s best record, while a Portland win would pull the Trail Blazers even with Oklahoma City in their own division.
Memphis returns home after this trip, while Portland continues its slate at Moda Center. Both teams will look to carry momentum from a five-game winning streak into the next stretch of the schedule, with the next matchups to be determined by each team’s upcoming slate.
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